A header for a crop harvesting machine generally comprises a main longitudinal support member in the form of an elongate tube which extends across substantially the full width of the header frame and defines a main structural member for the header frame. The tube carries a plurality of forwardly and downwardly extending support beams which include a first portion extending downwardly and a second portion attached to a lower end of the first portion and extending forwardly therefrom toward a forward end of the support beams. The cutter bar is attached to the forward end of the support beams and is thus held thereby in a position generally parallel to the main support tube.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,966 issued September 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,343 issued April 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,871 issued Mar. 15 2005 by Patterson and U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,166 issued November 16 by Dunn all assigned to the present Assignee is disclosed a header which utilizes two side drapers to transport the crop cut by the knife inwardly along the header table to a central discharge opening. The side drapers discharge onto a central feed draper which has a front roller just behind the knife and a rear roller at the feeder house of a combine harvester so as to carry the crop from the side drapers rearwardly into the feeder house for inlet into the combine harvester for processing. A rotary feed member which may carry auger flight portions is mounted at the discharge opening of the header above the feed draper so as to assist in carrying bulky crop through the discharge opening so as to be carried into the feeder house. The feed draper is carried on the rear roller which is attached to a feeder house and therefore the feed draper and its associated underlying pan flex and twist as the header floats relative to the feeder house.
While this arrangement has achieved considerable commercial success, it is desirable to improve the feed of the crop material from the side drapers into the feeder house particularly in relation to bulky crops such as soy beans.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,371 issued November 1995 by Honey discloses a similar arrangement in which the crop is transferred from the rear end of the feed draper into a rigid fixed adapter housing which is mounted on the front of the feeder house and contains the rotary feed member in the form of an auger with conventional feeding fingers. This arrangement therefore requires that the header is moved forwardly relative to the feeder house so as to provide the space necessary for the adapter housing and its rotary feed member contained therein.
Further commercial devices are manufactured by Deere and Company and AGCO but it is believed that there are no patents disclosing the construction of these devices.